Here’s some of the best tips to saving money for couples to go on vacation in the next 6-12 months with just some simple adjustments.
I’ve done many of these myself and found ways to put money away for one of the things that matter most to me- getaways and full vacations with my girlfriend.
The ones I haven’t done myself will help me travel more often than I already do.
During the pandemic year of 2020 I got to travel more than I had planned on a limited income.
Of course, it helps to live in Florida so we can visit many Florida paradises for a few days within a short drive.
Share with me and my visitors in the comments field at the bottom how you like to save money to travel with your partner. (I might add them to this list. If I do, I will give you credit).
For now, check out my creative ideas couples can save money to travel.
Of all the best tips to saving money for vacation, this first one matters the most.
If you don’t know how much to save, then how can you save it? It doesn’t matter if you’re saving for a dream vacation or a cheap couple’s getaway.
Purchase and download a vacation savings tracker on Etsy, create your own with a free Canva.com account or find a free app on your phone. Or better yet, use the autosave features of your bank’s site or app to set the goal and auto-transfer money from checking savings.
Here are the basic steps to save up towards your next couple’s vacation or getaway:
For example, if you plan a couple’s getaway to Florida that you anticipate will cost $1,500 in 6 months, then you will need to save $250 between the two of you each month (or $125 each). You could even break that down further by week.
Make saving money fun and addictive. Start a savings challenge with your partner. Motivate each other to reach the goal set from #1 on this list. Find free or cheap ways to celebrate reaching the monthly goals together. Set the celebrations up in advance.
This works even better if you know how to cook well. But even if you only know the basics, learn how to cook some of your favorite recipes in bulk amounts. Store them, maybe even freeze them. And eat for several days or the whole week. This prevents going out and purchasing several different grocery items for completely different meals each day.
Do this manually if you prefer on Excel, but it’d be a lot easier with an app. Your bank’s app might also include budgeting features.
Cooking in bulk and eating the same meal several times in the same week might not appeal to you. Instead, learn to cook your favorite dishes. This will prevent you from going out to eat as much and you’ll still look forward to dinner.
I don’t know about you, but food prep is the most annoying thing, besides grocery shopping. Instead of cutting and chopping right before making your meal, instead prep in advance. Making it easier to cook your own meals will prevent the temptation to go out to eat as often.
Purchase and download my 75 Stay Home Date Ideas for Couples on Etsy shop. In the first stage of the pandemic, my girlfriend and I found fun ways to do things together at home and which saved us money.
Even if the dates cost a little this still gives you a chance to save that extra money towards your couple’s vacation. Purchase and download my 75 Cheap Date Ideas for Couples on my Etsy shop.
When you do go out to eat, one of the best ways to save money, and to put it towards your next vacation, is to dine at restaurants who offer loyalty rewards programs to their regular patrons. Some use cards, others have created apps. Earn points that you can use to purchase future meals.
Here is a list of Restaurant Rewards Programs:
Looking to add furnishings to your home? Some of the best and most stylish can be bought for big discounts or even used. Some of my favorite discount retailers are Ross, Marshall’s, Tuesday Morning
In my opinion, this is one of the biggest money wasters. Some of the best tips to saving money you’ll get from personal finance gurus like Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey is to eliminate unnecessary expenses. Do you even know all of the subscription services you pay for? The ones you do know of, how often do you use them? Save money towards your next vacation by eliminating unnecessary subscription services.
Need some help remembering what kinds of monthly subscriptions you pay for? Here’s a list:
Truebill can help you either manage or find all the subscription services you pay for so that you can eliminate them.
I’m not suggesting that you eliminate all the snacks, desserts and extra food items that you love to eat. But if you can stick to the most essential proteins and vegetables you can make many more meals that will last throughout the week.
You might not like to plan ahead, but how will you know what ingredients you need to make your bulk meals for the week? Proper meal planning will save you more money to put towards your next couple’s vacation.
Check out done-for-you grocery shopping lists on Etsy.
How will you know what you need to buy, if you don’t know what you have or how much you need to buy? A simple grocery inventory system and spreadsheet can prevent overspending or not purchasing enough ingredients which would tempt you to dine out.
Check out done-for-you grocery inventory lists on Etsy.
One of the worst times to grocery shop is when you’re hungry and then want to buy everything in sight.
If you enjoy imbibing on cocktails like I do, then one way to prevent overspending on going out for drinks is to create a home bar.
If you do go out for drinks, then find the best happy hours in town to avoid overspending on expensive cocktails.
Download the Groupon app to access great dining out, gift, event deals, and more! You’d be shocked how good the deals you’ll find there.
A big danger of not making a list of items that you need around the home is you buy a bunch of unnecessary things. Make a list and put deadlines on when you want to get them. Research their prices then track and save money each month until it’s time to buy them.
Have trouble mingling funds? Why create a separate account just for vacations to make it easier to save for your couples getaways?
Depending on your auto insurer, you could save up to 25% per policy period simply by paying for the full amount rather than monthly.
I love reward credit cards! I buy my new laptops every few years with my Chase Freedom credit card and have booked many free flights with my Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card. (*Make sure you pay off your balances or you will lose money from paying interest and finance fees).
Like I just said, pay off your credit cards or you will lose money. I prefer to use credit cards over debit cards because it’s safer. You can always debate erroneous charges and no money will ever leave your bank accounts.
If you can manage a budget, great, if not, at least track the discretionary expenses that cause you the most financial pain. I used a simple Excel expense spreadsheet to find out I was spending MORE THAN DOUBLE what I wanted to for dining and drinking out! That’s why one of the best tips to saving money is to see how much you’re losing. You need to see it. That’s why you should track expenses.
Check out these expense trackers on Etsy.
By now you know that only making the minimum payments then you will not get rid of your credit card balances. Recently I paid off my credit card balances, in large part to maintaining an emergency savings account, then dropping all extra cash after expenses on credit card balances.
Student loans will kill you with interest. Consider checking out your options for refinancing them. The longer you have unsecured debt the harder you will find it to save for the things that matter and invest for the future.
If you get paid in cash, then do NOT spend the coins or small bills. I did this for a while and saved over $1,000. You could do even better.
If you are thinking about buying a home then consider making money by renting out the other units of a multi-family home while you live in one yourself. (*Learn about the renting and real estate tax laws of your state or province).
I have accounts in a federal credit union and this avoids unnecessary fees, but I still have other fee-based accounts. Now that I have paid off my credit card balances perhaps I could reach the minimum balances to avoid fees. Another idea would be to open an online bank account that doesn’t charge fees.
Don’t just do taxes when it’s tax time. Open an account with TurboTax like I did to learn about which deductions you can take, especially if you make money in a side hustle or business. Then track these deductions throughout the year in a spreadsheet or app so that you have all the data when it come s time to submit your taxes.
Did you know that you can find discounted gift cards that you could use towards household items? This could save more money for your next couple’s getaway.
This may not work for all couples, but this is one of the best tips to saving money I’ve been doing. It works for me and my girlfriend because we don’t eat a lot. We kept having leftovers each time we went out which was wasting money that we could have used towards our vacations. So, we started splitting entrees, saving money, and not leaving hungry!
If you go out for drinks, and drinks only, then consider eating before you leave home or grabbing some quick, inexpensive food before you get to the bar. I found myself planning just to get one or two happy hour drinks and dropping less than $20 per person. Instead, I cannot tell you how many times we went out and bought four items and spent more than double what we had intended.
If you have kids, then instead of spending money on babysitting, offer to watch your friends’ kids in return for them to watch yours when you go out.
Have you tried any of these ideas?
Got any other ones to suggest?
Please share your best tips to saving money for couples to travel in the comments field below.
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